AUSTIN — A longtime political adviser to David Dewhurst was sentenced Friday to more than seven years in federal prison for embezzling millions of dollars from the former lieutenant governor’s campaign accounts.

Kenneth “Buddy” Barfield, an ex-Austin political consultant, plead guilty in October on charges of wire fraud, falsified tax returns and theft of campaign funds from a candidate for federal office, admitting to siphoning funds between 2008 and 2012 from two Dewhurst campaign accounts, the David Dewhurst Committee and Dewhurst for Texas.

In all, Barfield admitted to stealing a total of roughly $2.8 million from the Dewhurst committees, including cash pilfered from campaign contributions during a 2012 U.S. Senate race that pitted Dewhurst against Ted Cruz, according to court documents. Barfield used the money to pay the mortgage on a columned, two-story mansion in West Austin, on school tuition for his children, on personal investments and for assorted other living costs.

Appearing before U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks, Barfield said he deeply regretted his actions and apologized.

“I stand here ready to take the full punishment,” he said.

While Barfield faced a maximum of 28 years in prison, a pre-sentence report recommended a range between 70 months and 87 months.

Sparks said he had planned to exceed the recommended sentencing guidelines after reading the report and issue a ruling of no less than 10 years in prison. But federal prosecutors argued that Barfield fully cooperated in the case and should receive the low end of the sentencing scale.

Sparks reluctantly agreed to sentence Barfield within the recommended range, noting that his actions not only deprived contributors of their “political intent” but could have potentially impacted the final outcome of the race.

“Everybody upon arrest wants to cooperate. It’s all anybody can do,” Sparks said. “I hope a sentence of 87 months is a deterrent. One hundred and twenty (months) would have been better.”

Van de Putte bids farewell to the Texas

AUSTIN — Leticia Van de Putte, retiring from the Texas Legislature to run for San Antonio mayor, delivered an emotional farewell speech from the floor of the state Senate Tuesday, waxing on roughly 25 years of public service with an address that sought to encapsulate the upper chamber in one word: family.

“We’re a family here, and we’re a family here forever,” Van de Putte said during an almost 13-minute speech.

With her husband, Pete, knelt beside her desk, Van de Putte offered praise for individual lawmakers, but also sought to frame the Senate as a chamber that shares together in “times of static joy” and the “deepest personal sorrows.” Putting partisan differences aside, she said the “civility” and “humanity” of the Legislature tends to prevail in the “toughest of times.”

“I see how people of integrity and commitment can accomplish incredible feats,” she said.

Elected in 1990 to represent a blue-collar district on San Antonio’s West Side, Van de Putte served five terms in the state House before joining the Senate in 1999. She ran unsuccessfully in 2014 for lieutenant governor, announcing her bid for San Antonio mayor just weeks after a crushing defeat at the hands of Republican Dan Patrick.

Before Van de Putte spoke, senators stood one-by-one to shower her tenure in the Legislature with bipartisan praise. Recognized by most for her work as the head of the Senate’s Committee for Veteran Affairs and Military Installations, some struck a more personal tone.

“She was everybody’s momma, and she was everybody’s pharmacist,” said state Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, referencing Van de Putte’s fulltime profession as a pharmacist.

“We will miss you so much. All of us will remember your legacy,” Zaffirini added.

State Sen. John Whitmire, a Houston Democrat who carries the title of “dean” of the Texas Senate, said he believed Van de Putte would be back in front Legislature soon enough — but as mayor of San Antonio

“I’m not saying goodbye because I think you’ll be down here lobbying for the cities in a very short time,” he said.

And state Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, held up a small card as he extolled Van de Putte, noting she handed out that card to every member of the Senate in 2013 just days after her father passed away. He used it to show what he described as the “integrity and compassion” that Van de Putte brought to the Senate.

“You will be long remembered on this floor,” he said.

Van de Putte’s speech was chock-full of legislative memories and shout outs to lawmakers, Senate staff and even the press corps. She also carved out a small slice of her speech for Patrick, the newly elected lieutenant governor who beat Van de Putte in November.

“I stand always as your full partner in the love for this state,” she said. “You are at the dais now, and I know you will wield that gavel with compassion for the best interest of the people of this state.”

Van de Putte’s replacement in the Senate, state Rep. Jose Menendez, is set to be sworn in next week.

AUSTIN — Backed with an army of lobbyiststo storm the Capitol, Tesla Motors is asking state lawmakers to allow it to operate up to 12 dealerships in Texas.

State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin, filed legislation Thursday to allow Tesla to bypass traditional dealerships and sell cars in Texas through its stores.

The legislation, House Bill 1653, calls for up to a dozen Tesla dealerships across the state, but a Rodriguez spokeswoman said the intent is to have six stores that sell vehicles and six service centers. The bill does no specify where in Texas those stores would be located, but the company current operates so-called “galleries” in Dallas, Austin and Houston, and says it would like to open in San Antonio.

Texas is one of five states with a ban on direct sales of new cars. For now, the only way to buy a Tesla in Texas is to order one online or contact a dealer in another state.

“Our current franchise dealership laws were created to prevent vehicle manufacturers from unfairly competing with their existing franchised dealerships, not to restrict competition,” Rodriguez said in a statement.

Rodriguez sponsored a bill last session to allow Tesla to sell directly to Texans but it stipulated that if the company sells more than 5,000 cars a year it would have to start to franchise its operation. At the urging of Tesla, the legislation has been tweaked this session to set a cap on the number of dealerships the company can operate statewide — a model that has worked in other statehouses.

Bill Wolters, president of the Texas Automobile Dealers Association, which is opposing the legislation, said Thursday “no matter how many outlets they ask for it’s still a monopoly.”

Michael Quinn Sullivan, president and CEO of Empower Texans and Texans for Fiscal Responsibility. Photo courtesy of Texas Tribune.

DENTON — A state district judge Wednesday dismissed a ruling from the Texas Ethics Commission that found conservative powerbroker Michael Quinn Sullivan violated state law by failing to register as a lobbyist in 2010 and 2011.

In a four-hour hearing, judge Steve Burgess ruled that a state law put in place to protect free speech and the right to assemble applied to Sullivan.

“It is significant that on the very first day that a court had the opportunity to look at this situation .. the judge dismissed it,” Sullivan said outside the courthouse. “That’s indicative of where this case was all along. The Texas Ethics Commission has devolved into an agency in which the process is the punishment.”

The commission and Sullivan have been sparring over the lobby registration issue since 2012, when state officials launched a probe after sworn complaints by state Rep. Jim Keffer, R-Eastland, and former state Rep. Vicki Truitt, R-Keller, accused Sullivan of directly lobbying members of the Texas House in the last quarter of 2010 and during the 2011 session and failing to register with the state.

Sullivan was fined $10,000 by the commission in late July after he was have flouted state law for failing to register. Sullivan appealed in August, claiming Denton as his county of residence and opting to have the case heard.

Eric Nichols, a lawyer hired by the ethics commission, said he expects to appeal.

photo by: Bob Daemmrich/Marjorie Kamys CoteraState Reps. José Menéndez (l.) and Trey Martinez-Fischer, both from San Antonio Districts, are seeking the state Senate seat vacated by Leticia Van de Putte, who is running for mayor of that city (courtesy: The Texas Tribune).

AUSTIN — Two San Antonio Democrats and a powerful special interest group combined to drop more than $1.2 million since Jan.1 in the race to replace state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte — ratcheting up an already pricey contest.

New campaign finance reports made public Tuesday detail the latest round of contributions and spending by state Reps. Jose Menéndez and Trey Martinez Fischer, along with outside money flowing into the race via Texans for Lawsuit Reform.

The total price tag now for the Senate District 26 seat: more than $2.3 million.

According to state data, Martinez Fischer has spent more than $1.2 million, while the Menéndez campaign total is around $513,000. TLR, an Austin lobby group that became a flash point during the SD 26 special election, has now tossed in a total of about $558,000, mostly in the form of attack ads targeting Martinez Fischer or other materials supporting Menendez.

The bulk of the money has been spent has been spent on ads. State data shows the two campaigns and TLR have combined to spend about $1.5 million to air messages on television and radio. Martinez Fischer has spent about $954,000 on television and radio; Menéndez $236,000; and TLR about $300,000.

Early voting started Monday for the Feb. 17 runoff. Martinez Fischer and Menéndez emerged from a crowded field in a January special election, in which Martinez Fischer dominated by snagging 43 percent of the vote to Menéndez’s 25 percent. Two Republicans in the field split 28 percent of the total vote.

Here are some breakdowns from the new reports, which cover the period from Jan 1 to Feb. 7.

photo by: Bob Daemmrich/Marjorie Kamys CoteraState Reps. José Menéndez (l.) and Trey Martinez-Fischer, both from San Antonio Districts, are seeking the state Senate seat vacated by Leticia Van de Putte, who is running for mayor of that city (courtesy: The Texas Tribune).

AUSTIN — State Reps. Trey Martinez Fischer and Jose Menéndez traded sharp jabs during a joint television appearance that aired Friday, just days before early voting starts in the runoff race to replace state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte.

For roughly 15 minutes on KLRN’s “Texas Week,” the two San Antonio Democrats went after each other on everything from contributions given by payday lenders to the political correctness of Martinez Fischer’s reference to the GOP as “Gringos y Otros Pendejos” at the state Democratic convention over the summer. At one point, Menéndez even accused Martinez Fischer of orchestrating a political action committee with the intent to “launder money” back to his campaign account.

About the only thing the two agreed on: they both oppose attempts to pass school vouchers at the Legislature.

Early voting starts Monday in the Feb. 17 runoff election between Martinez Fischer and Menéndez. The two emerged from a crowded field in a January special election, in which Martinez Fischer dominated by snagging 43 percent of the vote to Menendez’s 25 percent. Two Republicans in the field split 28 percent of the total vote.

Friday’s program started off feisty and maintained that tone throughout.

Asked by moderator Rick Casey, a longtime newspaper columnist, what Menendez was doing to make up the gap between him and Martinez Fischer and whether he was recruiting Republican voters, Menendez responded: “We’re talking to everybody.”

That left the door wide open for Martinez Fischer to attack Menéndez over alleged ties to a powerful special interest group that has contributed millions of dollars mostly to state Republicans over the years. During the special election, Texans for Lawsuit Reform spent about $180,000 to attack Martinez Fischer.

“What amazes me is this: the partnerships that Jose has chosen with people who are strong supporters of Dan Patrick,” Martinez Fischer said, referencing the newly-elected Republican lieutenant governor. “I don’t like people misleading voters. I don’t like people lying to voters. If you want to be a partner with Dan Patrick then just say so.”

Menéndez has denied any link to TLR, which has bought television time to run ads during the runoff, according to public records.

Returning fire, Menéndez raised questions about a political action committee called One Texas that is linked to Martinez Fischer, saying it served as an avenue “to launder money.” The PAC’s treasurer is the former chief of staff for Martinez Fischer.

A campaign finance report released in October showed nearly $80,000 in contributions from various donors to the PAC, mostly lawyers, while it injected roughly $90,000 into Martinez Fischer’s Senate bid.

“The question is why didn’t they write the checks directly to Trey, so unless you want to hide the contributions, I don’t know why,” Menéndez said.

Menéndez then brought up contributions from prominent payday lender Trevor Ahlberg, who has given to Martinez Fischer around $28,000 over the years. Menendez’s camp has put out a mail piece hitting Martinez Fischer over the donations. Earlier in the week, Menéndez put out a news release calling on Martinez Fischer to return the money.

“My constituents … know exactly where I am on this issue,” Martinez Fischer responded during the televised appearance. “I’d like see Jose admit right now that he’s never taken a single dollar from a payday lender. I’d love to hear him to say that.”

To which Menéndez responded: “I’ll return every single dollar from a payday lender as soon as he returns the $28,000 from Trevor Ahlberg.”

“That’s not the question,” Martinez Fischer shot back. “The question is if he feels like this payday lending is such an issue then why doe he take money from them?”

Former state Rep. John Davis, a Houston Republican who retired after the 2013 session, is now a registered lobbyist.

AUSTIN — Former state. Rep. John Davis, a Houston Republican who did not seek re-election in 2014, has officially kicked off a new career: lobbyist.

Continuing a long revolving door tradition that some in the Legislature are looking to slow down, Davis becomes the first lawmaker who did not run again or lost a re-election bid after the 2013 session to register as a lobbyist for this session.

According to state data, Davis is registered to lobby on behalf of KGR Residential, a Tomball-based general contracting firm, that he said works with the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.

He’s also signed up to lobby for a firm run by Thomas Suehs, a lobbyist who was the former Health and Human Services executive commissioner, aptly called Thomas Suehs and Associates, LLC. Davis said he’s working with Suehs “to provide alternatives to court-appointed guardians for seniors.” He declined to elaborate further.

Both of Davis’ lobby contracts are valued at less than $10,000, the minimum range.

“There are some issues that are important that to me that I wanted to work on,” said Davis, pointing to mental health and senior citizens. He said he’s also doing pro bono work for the Texas Silver-Haired Legislature, a nonprofit that advocates for “older Texans.”

A proposal by state Rep. Angie Chen Button, R-Garland, and Sen. Van Taylor, R-Plano, would prohibit former lawmakers from becoming lobbyists for four years after their last legislative session.

Davis, as you might imagine, is not in favor of the bill.

“That would be hypocritical of me to say former lawmakers should not be allowed to lobby,” he said. “Once you stop serving you should be able to advocate for issues you care about and further the cause of those particular issues.”

Davis is the first former lawmaker from the departing class of 2013 to register this session, but he’s likely not the last. Around a dozen former lawmakers who left the Legislature after the 2011 session became lobbyists in 2013.

And several ex-lawmakers have been spotted fairly consistently around the Capitol since opening day.

But he’s not planning to register as a lobbyist because he’s working for free, volunteering his time with the organization, and doesn’t plan to spend any money wining and dining lawmakers.

Under ethics rules, lobby registration is required if a person is paid more than $1,000 in a calendar quarter to influence legislation or a if a person spends more than $500 in a calendar quarter to lobby a lawmaker with food, travel or some other kind of gift.

AUSTIN — House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, has shuffled the chairmen of several key committees but kept intact the same gang of lieutenants to run the lower chamber’s panels.

Straus announced House committee assignments Wednesday, including new chairmen for panels that deal with budget writing and tax issues. Several former chairmen, including the former heads of the budget and tax panels, have left the Legislature since last session.

As expected, state Rep. John Otto, R-Dayton, was named as chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, will head the House Ways and Means Committee, the chamber’s tax-writing panel.

Straus said in a statement: “These appointments will allow some of our committee chairs to bring their perspectives and leadership to a fresh set of issues, and that new thinking will benefit the entire House. Many other Members are also moving into new positions of responsibility, and I am very confident in the work they’re going to do.”

In another change, state Rep. John Zerwas, R-Richmond, will chair the Higher Education Committee, replacing Dan Branch who lost a bid for attorney general last year. Zerwas used to chair a House ethics committee.

State Rep. Jim Keffer, R- Eastland, was tapped to head the House Natural Resources Committee, which was chaired last session by Allen Ritter, who retired. Keffer used to chair the Energy Resources Committee.

State Reps. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, and Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, essentially traded committee chair posts. Pickett chaired the Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee last session, while Phillips oversaw the Transportation Committee. Now Picket will chair Transportation and Phillips will head Homeland Security and Public Safety.

And state Rep. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, will chair a new committee Straus created to focus on juvenile justice and family issues.

Crystal Perkins, the newly-hired executive director of the Texas Democratic Party, will start in her role on Feb. 15

AUSTIN — The Texas Democratic Party has hired a new executive director with a national fundraising background to help the state’s minority party try to regain its footing after getting stomped up and down the ticket in November.

Crystal Perkins, a 32-year-old San Antonio native who has spent the better part of her career in politics raising cash for Democrats, joins the party as it regroups from a disappointing election cycle and girds for a legislative session in which Republicans look to capitalize on their overwhelming majority. She replaces Will Hailer, who was executive director for almost two years after stepping down for a consulting job outside of Washington, D.C.

Her background includes stints with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and campaigns in North Carolina, Wisconsin, Michigan and Texas. Most recently, Perkins ran the finance shop for Michigan gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer, who raised $27 million en route to defeat.

Aside from helping chart overall strategy for the party, Perkins said she plans make the most of her fundraising expertise.

“That’s why I was an attractive candidate for this position,” she said in an interview Wednesday. “We’re going to build a message and a plan so that donors buy in on why they should invest in the Texas Democratic Party.”

Party officials say Perkins was selected after a search that entailed interviewing candidates from Texas and around the country, including the executive directors of state parties in Alaska and Kansas.

“She’s got the hustle we need to get things moving again,” saidGilberto Hinojosa, chairman of the Texas Democratic Party.

The party plans to officially announce Perkins’ hire Wednesday evening at a reception and fundraising event in Austin. Perkins will start in her new role on Feb. 15

A graduate of TexasStateUniversity, Perkins said she has already made calls to key county chairs and ally groups to let them she’s coming on board. Her immediate plan is to meet with Democrats around the state to “talk about what they have seen in the past, what works and what we can do better.”

“I’ve been gone from Texas for five years. It was great to go out and try to elect Democrats across the county she said. “I’m really excited to come home and use my skills here. We have a lot of work to do in this state.”